Single women going to New Year’s Eve parties this year may want to wear something red if they want to meet a partner.
A new study has found that color makes women more attractive to men.
Researchers in Germany showed 120 men images of two identical photographs of a woman in her 20s – against a white or red background.
The team did the same test, but also used a woman in her 50s. Men were then asked how sexually attractive the women were.
If pink makes boys wink, red makes them marry!: Hailey Bieber pictured above in a pink dress in France in September of this year and right in a red dress in New York City in August of this year
Above, Selena Gomez is seen in pink while attending the Universal Music Group conference in September of this year, and on the right in a jumpsuit in 2014
Despite seeing the same woman in two backgrounds, the men generally found the woman with the red background more attractive.
Scientists were not clear why red increased sexual desire, but they said it could be because the color could be a sign that a woman is fertile.
The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, said men may find red more attractive because of its “longstanding tradition.” [of] Red is associated with sexual activity.
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“It may be that the color red activates cognitive representations of ‘red light districts’ in men,” they wrote.
Red is rumored to make a person look more attractive for years. Researchers suspect this may be due to biological or cultural factors.
For the study, researchers recruited 60 men in their 20s with an average age of 25 and another 60 men around 53 years old.
They were all recruited in Dortmund, Germany, in a shopping center or on a university campus.
Participants were shown two images of a young woman in her 20s placed on a white or red background.
And two photos of an older woman in her 50s – who has gone through menopause – on a white or red background.
The images are reduced in size to fill the central area of an A4 page, while the rest of the page is colored red or white.
Men were shown all four images for five seconds each and then asked to rate their sexual attractiveness from one to nine, with one being the least attractive and five being the most.
Young participants rated the young woman’s sexual attractiveness on a red background as 5.91, while on a white background it was rated as 3.44 – that is, 70 percent more attractive.
For the older woman, the younger participants rated her a 2.22 on both white and red backgrounds.
In comparison, among the older men in the study, a young woman received an overall rating of 4.89 on a red background, while on a white background she received a rating of 4.24.
For the older woman it was 3.92 on a red background but 4.22 on a white background.
The scientists said there was a significant difference in how the young men rated the young woman, suggesting that red was a factor.
However, they found no significant difference between that of the older woman, suggesting that another factor was at play.
“This could easily explain why the red effect is specific to young people.” [woman]’ the authors wrote.
Kendall Jenner pictured in a pink dress in April 2021 and a red dress while attending the MET Gala in New York City in September 2021
‘[But] It could also be that red was seen as a sign for a woman’s ovulation, in our ancients [woman] This is clearly menopause, so red is not a valid sign.”
The researchers around Dr. Sascha Schwarz – psychologist at the Technical University of Dortmund – concluded: “Regardless of whether one emphasizes the immediate social or the ultimate biological explanation for the connection between red and sexuality, red can increase the attractiveness of men to women. ”
Limitations of the study included that it relied on self-reports from men and did not examine participants’ sexual orientation.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
